


Murder Is Like Potato Chips

by ollie_oxen_free



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Multi, Murder, Violence, abuse/abusive relationships, dark shit, fight scenes are Hard, i mean theres a lot of shit in here thats kinda fucked but i dont wanna tag it now bc spoilers, ollie tries to write dark stuff, some bullshit magic, the explicit is just for violence and shit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-24
Updated: 2017-07-17
Packaged: 2018-11-18 08:48:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11287809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ollie_oxen_free/pseuds/ollie_oxen_free
Summary: You can't stop with just one!ON HIATUS:because i may or may not have written myself into a corner and now i have to find my way out of it while still keeping with my predetermined plot (sorry not sorry ha ha)





	1. happy pills

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GallifreyanPal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GallifreyanPal/gifts).



> this is a kinda gift fic for Gallifreyan-Child because there was a possibility that i was stalking their tumblr and saw a post where they mentioned that there were basically no fics for ut sans/sf sans and since im a piece of shit, and since theyre one of my favorite writers, here we are! the ship name is WiltedComic and yall can suck my dick if you don't like it idgaf (tho apparently its also kinda known as KetchupEnchiladas? idk it sounds like a dish my mom would make but ill tag it too. i wish this ship had a rly clever name for it that i dont feel stupid saying but whatever, if y’all come up with one then let me kno)
> 
> (and i do give a fuck and please don't suck my dick)
> 
> ((also ive just realized that literally everything i write is razz-centric and i think i need a break from swapfell except not really thats not going to feasibly happen lmfao))
> 
> i wrote a goofy ship thing but i’m doing a multichapter now i guess because i needed more of this??? I came up with like a plot for it and everything so idk man. i cant think of anyone i havent shipped razz with so at this point it was kinda called for tbh
> 
> IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED, GALLI?!!?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> even if they find us  
> we're apathetic  
> and they can't take that away  
> [x](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWiJk11NGUE)

The cold metal of the crown rested heavy against his head. The throne, the kingdom, was his to own, his to command. He tightened his grip on the arms of the large throne, relishing in the creak of his leather gloves as they were stretched. This throne was  _ his _ . It was child’s play to kill the queen, in the end. She was a weak and incapable ruler, and, as their world dictated, she deserved to be snuffed out of existence. The only reason why Toriel had kept her grip on the crown for so long was because of the guard that protected her and projected her iron fist to the farthest reaches of the underground.

It was beyond easy to rise through the ranks of the guard and overthrow the previous captain to take her title. Alphys was many things, and easily goaded into a fight was one of them. Such power commanded the respect and fear of the guard and the citizens of the underground, but the now-deceased queen was too blind to see the upcoup coming until it struck her through the eye, her falling to her knees and beginning to dust, watching with her remaining eye as Sans picked up the fallen crown and placed it on his own head before her blood had cooled on the ground.

He gripped on the arm of the throne again, rubbing his thumb over the wood reverently. It was much too large for him, but he had decided to keep it that way. Let anyone who challenged him to the throne come, and underestimate him by seeing the carved oak that dwarfed him. It was a power play, a challenge to anyone who thought that they could defeat him. Many accepted this and came after him.

It took nearly a week before all the dust was cleaned out of his throne room.

A whimper from in front of him snapped him out of his internal monologue, and Sans glanced down at the two monsters at his feet, bound and sniveling. He scowled. Weak and disgusting. Honestly thinking that they could somehow overthrow his reign- his dictatorship- and establish something “better”. He gave a dismissive wave of his hand, not caring to hear their pleas and begs for mercy, and watched as the two were dragged out of the room to their executions.

He’d kill them himself, but the last thing he wanted was to get his boots dirty. His mutt had just licked them clean, after all.

He looked up as the door to the throne room resounded with a heavy knock. He nodded at the guards at the door and they opened it, allowing Alphys to enter the throne room. She stopped in front of his throne, clicking her feet together with a hard thud, her right hand making a fist and coming to rest over her heart in a sharp motion before snapping it back down to her side. He sat up from his bored slouch- execution orders were such a tedious chore- and drummed his fingers on the arm. “At ease.”

She relaxed and moved both her arms to clasp loosely behind her back, ducking her head in a slight bow before speaking. “My king. We’ve discovered something in the royal labs that we think you will be pleased to find.”

Her eyes flickered up to him, a familiar glint in the pupils, and he felt a cruel grin stretch across his face. Now  _ this _ was going to be interesting. He stood smoothly, his boots clacking as he stepped down the stairs. “Lead on, Captain.”

She grinned as well and saluted once more before turning and marching from the throne room. He followed her to the labs, entering the building confidently. 

As soon as he stepped through the door the room fell into a hushed silence, the atmosphere tense. He paused and looked over the gathering of monsters there, meeting all their stares with one of his own, feeling satisfied as they all dropped to the floor in fear and submission as he met their gaze. He walked to the royal scientist slowly, his freshly sharpened heels clicking loudly on the tile the only sound in the deafening silence. 

This was the difference between him and that weakling Toriel, he decided. He commanded fear, controlled it, bent it to his advantage without the threat of the guard backing him up. He could, single-handedly, wipe out the entire underground, devolve the world they knew into chaos, throw the crown up in the air for grabs and destroy anyone foolish enough to attempt to take it. His power didn’t come from desperation, his reign didn’t come from being born into it. He worked for everything he had been given, and he relaxed in the fact that he alone could wield such a power.

Undyne, the royal scientist, gave a quick bow before making a motion with her hand, two of the lower scientists scuttering off to wheel in the machine. He watched as the heavy device was pushed forward by the two before they too bowed, moving off to the sides. She stepped forward after they set it down, typing in a few numbers before the machine started humming, a small spark of electricity running over the body of the machine.

He’d found it in a hidden shed behind his house not long after he had killed the queen. He didn’t know where it had come from or why he hadn’t seen it before- he had given his mutt an appropriate punishment once they had moved it out of snowdin and to the royal labs to completely repair- but whatever it was, it was his own.

He looked on calmly as the machine continued to spark, a loud rumble filling the room. A few of the scientists backed away with mumbles of fear, watching as the air in front of the machine began to shimmer like a mirage. A spark of electricity shot out and hit the air, arcing between the metal hull of the machine and the ripple. A loud tearing noise filled the air as the spark travelled downwards, changing colors as it did, unzipping what looked like a hole into a familiar house. He looked over the edges of the portal calmly before he turned to Undyne. He took the crown off of his head, looking down at the jewels in it and checking the small wire on the inside that he had set, nearly invisible unless you knew specifically what you were looking for. “And what is this?”

She inhaled a deep breath before letting it out slowly, speaking as calm as possible, trying to keep the stutter out of her voice. He found it grating, and had informed her none too subtly that if she did so in his presence, then he could easily relieve her of it by cutting out her tongue. “It appears to be a device that can open portals to other universes.” She spoke slow, getting the words out in twice the time it would have taken if she had been stuttering, but he enjoyed watching the slight widen of her eyes and tensing of her arms every time she almost repeated a syllable. Alphys was trembling in fury beside her, and Sans fought the urge to laugh at the smaller’s reaction. They thought that they were so “clever” by hiding their relationship, but they were so obviously courting each other that he found it odd that no one had bothered to use it as leverage before. No matter.

He twirled the crown in his hands, enjoying the way that the light glinted off of the gold and gems. He really had put so much effort into getting this. It’s a shame the novelty of it had worn off already. “I see. So is this the point in time where you force me through it and shut it behind me to get me out of the way?” He looked up at those around the room, all of them seeming to tense up, a few of the weaker monsters shivering in fear while the stronger ones lowered themselves into a defensive position.

He looked out of the corner of his eye at the royal guard captain, seeing her watching him with narrowed eyes, one of her arms stretched out ever so slightly to shield Undyne. He could almost laugh. Honestly, they weren’t even trying.

Alphys looked between him, with his calm posture, and the portal very obviously, her eyes flicking back and forth as she shuffled back the slightest bit. “How-”

“Did I find out?” He twirled the crown in his hands, noting how her gaze flicked down to it hungrily before looking back up. Interesting. “I would highly recommend to everyone to keep a tracker on the collars of their pets.” He brushed a bit of imaginary dust off one of the rubies in the crown. “When I saw that my mutt had disappeared, at first I thought that someone had killed him.” He scoffed a laugh, gesturing at the portal with the crown with a large grin. “But this makes a hell of a lot more sense.”

One of the scientists broke off from the group, running towards the door to the labs. He rolled his eyes, forming a sharp construct and sending it towards them. The jagged bone struck them at the joint of their neck and head, embedding itself deep in the tissue with a wet squelch, and they fell forwards, turning to dust before their body could hit the floor. At this Alphys snarled, forming an axe and watching him warily, a few of the scientists around the room throwing off their robes to reveal royal guard uniforms- like he was some fucking idiot who didn’t recognize the faces of the troops that he had once commanded, but he had to commend them the slightest bit on their bravado- all of them dropping into attack stances.

He laughed. “Now, there’s no need for that, is there? I just find it rude that they tried to leave before I was finished talking.” He tossed the crown to Alphys and she caught it in shock, looking up at him in confusion. He clapped slowly, mockingly. “Well done, all of you. I do have to say, I’m impressed!”

Alphys kept her battle axe raised, watching over his movements in caution. “You aren’t going to fight?”

He gave her an almost annoyed look. “As captain of the guard, I would have expected you to be a bit more perceptive.” He sighed, reaching down to tug at the opening of his glove, flexing his hand to adjust it. “Then again, I did defeat you fairly easily. Maybe you’re just incompetent as a guardsman?”

She growled and he allowed himself a little chuckle. So easy to goad. “But, no, I’ll go without a fight.” He sighed as he walked to the portal, looking over the crowd slowly. Even though he was far, far outnumbered, they still cowed in fear when he met their gazes. As they should. “This was fun, for a while, but now I’m simply bored. There’s only so many executions I can order and rebels I can dust before it gets old.” He stepped through it, feeling a surge of energy prickle across his bones before he turned around. He looked at them, raising an eyebrow. “Well? As much as I  _ love _ our little chats, I’m still waiting on a lifetime of eternal banishment here.”

Undyne scrambled forward at his words, fumbling with the machine before he heard a click, and the portal flickered out before it disappeared, leaving him stranded. He turned as he heard a shuffle beside himself, seeing his mutt kneeling on the floor behind him. He strode forward a few steps before he stopped, linking his fingers through the front of the collar and hoisting him up to eye level. “Well, mutt? Have you done anything of use to me while here?”

Papyrus tensed, his eyelights staying locked on the floor. He knew better than to look Sans in the eye. “...No, m’lord.”

He tsked, letting go of the collar and swinging his leg around to kick him in the ribs, sending him skidding across the floor. “Typical. I have to do everything myself.” He looked around the room they were in. It was similar to the shed behind their own house, with a few minor differences here and there, but he supposed that was to be expected in an alternate universe.

He walked to the bottom of the steps, looking up at the door. “Heel.” He felt Papyrus fall into place behind him, shoulders still hunched and head facing down. “We go to the capitol first. Take out the king or queen and let the fight come to us.” He turned and looked back at the machine in this universe. A few tools were scattered on the floor beside it and he frowned at the mess. “Once we’ve killed everyone worth killing, we’ll use the machine and move to a different universe.”

He heard Papyrus’ jaw working, like he wanted to say something, and he sighed. “What is it, mutt?”

“M’lord… What about the traitors in our own universe?” There was a low growl in his voice.

Sans felt the corner of his mouth twitch up in something reminiscent of a smirk. “I’ve already taken care of it.”

 

\---

 

Alphys stood with a grunt, brushing off a bit of dust from her chestplate. She looked down at the ringlet of gold in her hand with a grin. She had kept a hold of it, despite a few scragglers here and there who were jockeying for the crown as well. Only a few had actually tried to fight for it, the rest waiting in- hope wasn’t the word that best suited it, but it was the only thing comparable considering the… lack of restraint and mercy that was shown by Sans’ rule- more along the lines of apprehension as she would soon become the new queen. She heard a shuffle from behind herself and turned quickly before relaxing, seeing that it was only Undyne.

She let an actual smile come over her face at the other, and Undyne gave a shy grin back, looking down at the crown in thought. “It’s w-weird how he was so… Compliant in g-giving up the crown.”

Alphys huffed, twirling the crown a bit in her hands and frowning at the thought. “He’s always… Enjoyed a challenge, as a trainee, a guardsman, a captain. Enjoyed the thrill of the fight, of the hunt.” She sighed. “It’s what made him such a good soldier in the first place. As time went on, he became more ruthless and merciless, only keeping people alive when he knew that it would destroy them mentally in a way that was worse than death. I think that… He saw this as just another hurdle, another challenge to overcome.” She stopped twirling the crown, looking up at her lover. “He got what he wanted, and now he’s moved on. God have mercy on that universe, and us as well if he manages to find his way back.”

Undyne gave a somber chuckle, looking up at the throne room. There used to be stained glass that depicted the queen, and one of green, rolling pastures on the surface. They had been beautiful, the brightly shimmering crystals that passed as sunlight shining through the colors at a certain time of day, throwing rainbows against the walls. 

Sans had destroyed them as soon as the crown was on his head. 

“I d-don’t think that we’ll have to w-worry about that. From what I g-gathered, travel can only happen b-between universes where both m-machine are set up.” She pushed up her glasses. “I d-destroyed it as soon as he left, so there’s n-no chances of either of them b-being able to come back.”

Alphys sighed, weary from the fighting and the stress of the past week. She wanted nothing more than to just relax and not have to fight, not have to deal with all this  _ dust _ that seemed to cover everything, covering her nostrils and throat and choking her with every breath. “That’s good, at least.” She looked up, giving Undyne a grateful smile. “I’m glad I’ve still got you in all this mess.”

Undyne laughed, rubbing her arm and feeling a blush heat up her face. “So I g-guess you’re the queen n-now?”

Alphys turned the crown over once again, giving her lover a lopsided grin. “Yeah, I guess so.”

Undyne laughed, feeling genuine joy for the first time since Toriel had been overthrown. She grabbed the edges of her labcoat, bending down in a mocking curtsy with a large smile. “W-well, my queen, when are y-you gonna put on your crown?” She stood back up and brushed her bangs out of her face.

Alphys hummed, giving the crown one last twirl before she lifted it to her head. The frills on her head prevented her from just setting it on top, so she had to manuver it so that the scales stuck through the hole. Undyne watched her with a smile before she caught a glimpse of something reflecting on the light. It looked like some kind of tripwire. The smile fell off her face and she went to call out a warning before the sharp frills on her lover’s head tripped the wire, and with a soft click, spindles unfolded from the front of the crown and bent over, embedding themselves in Alphys’ eyes. 

She screeched at the pain, reaching up to rip the crown off her head before magic shot through the spindles, her shriek cutting off as her body turned into dust. Undyne watched as her armor fell to the ground, coated in dust, the crown landing on it and making a hollow ding that resounded through the halls, rolling away from the dust and leaving imprints in the fine powder. Undyne fell to her knees, tears beginning to run down her face as she reached for the dust-coated armor, holding it close to her chest as she began to sob.

The door to the throne room slammed open, and she heard the sound of multiple pairs of feet pounding towards the no-longer-boobytrapped crown. She saw through a haze of tears two monsters fighting for it, throwing magic around in bloodlust. A third pair of feet stopped in front of her and she heard the sound of an attack forming. She didn’t bother looking up. Just kept her head down, closing her eyes.

Even from another universe, Sans had found a way to make their life in the underground a living hell.


	2. castle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> straight for the castle  
> there's no use crying about it  
> [x](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rfSHisyHdc)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **me, googling "edgy songs":** i put so much effort into these fics

 

They stayed low and kept quiet, creeping through the forest of Snowdin. Sans watched from the trees as the bunnies and, strangely enough, dogs traveled about the town. It was far from bustling by any means, nothing at all like the crowd-packed capitol, but different from their own Snowdin in the atmosphere. He watched as a bunny walked out of the Inn (everything in this place was switched from the layout he was accustomed to) and set down a smaller bunny attached to a leash. A dog walked past the bunny and gave a happy yip, adjusting the large box it was carrying. Another dog rushed up to help with the box, the contents shaking around a bit but settling as they continued their trek.

Sans narrowed his eyes as he watched the scene. This Snowdin had an almost sleepy vibe to it. Everyone seemed fairly relaxed, and he had yet to see a fight over food, shelter, or territory break out. 

He felt a twist of something- he decided to call it satisfaction- in his soul as he stood, moving swiftly but quietly away from the scene. This universe was full of weaklings, and it would be a simple matter to wipe them all away. Though, there was a chance that the ruler here wouldn’t even be worth fighting. He snapped his fingers quietly, his mutt falling obediently into place. That would be particularly disappointing, but, if that were the case, then he would at least be able to gain a bit of LOVE from the citizens. It would be interesting breaking them and seeing if he could corrupt this world to mimic his own.

They walked out of the forest by the river, the thick foliage hiding them all the way. He frowned as he looked it over, the bushy trees and heavy underbrush only serving to further his negative opinions on this place. Whatever version of himself that was taking care of this town was doing a poor job. He himself had gotten rid of the plants as soon as he was given domain over the uncontrollable town, Alphys had likely put him there because she was afraid of his power, hoping that the unruly residents of the town would turn him to dust by the end of the week. 

(Speaking of which, he wondered how she had enjoyed his attachments to the crown. He wished he had been able to see the moment she turned to dust, thinking that she could ever replace him as a ruler. Or, maybe, as a tribute to her love, she had given the crown to Undyne. God, would he have loved to see  _ that _ , the desperation and pain in her eyes as she watched her lover crumble to dust before her. Though, there was a chance that neither of them took the crown, in which case his trap was wasted on some street-filth, but it served them right for taking what didn’t belong to them in the first place.)

Regardless, the foliage was thick enough here to hide anyone unsavory- he supposed that he was included, in this instance- providing ample coverage for spies, thieves, and ambushers of the like. He could use that to his advantage later.

They reached the river, stopping at the bank. The sound of water rushing came soon after, and he looked up to see the Riverperson steering their boat. They stopped in front of the pair, starting to hum and swaying slightly to the tune. He stepped into the boat, making a sharp motion with his hand to command Papyrus to get in, sitting at his feet. He was satisfied to know that the Riverperson still required no charge for their services, and he ordered them to take him as close to the capitol as possible. They gave a slight dip of their hood to show that they understood his request before the boat floated out of the water, legs appearing on the front and back and beginning to sprint quickly down the river, throwing up water in their wake.

He watched as the scenery passed by: Snowdin, then Waterfall, and then Hotland, stopping and setting the boat back down in the water. He stood as soon as the boat had stopped, not bothering to wait for the cryptid words they would always utter. They never made sense anyways, just some bullshit about speaking in hands and creeping around behind houses.

They walked from the river and out beside the labs. He looked the building over before he continued walking forwards, stopping in front of what looked like two royal guards. One of them, a bunny, it seemed, held out a hand as he approached the elevator, stopping him. “Uh, sorry man. Undyne said that no one’s allowed on the elevators right now. Orders, ya know?”

So the scientist controlled things here? It made sense, he supposed, since his own Undyne had some sway of control over the Hotlans area since she monitored the tech. He was mildly surprised that Alphys just let her have free reign, but he didn’t bother to question it further than he already had. Sans looked at the pair with a scowl, trying to decide the best way to dispose of them for daring to talk to him. The other one in the pair, a fish monster, gazed at them calmly, taking a deep breath before he spoke. “...They look like Sans and Papyrus.”

The bunny paused, looking them over before his ears perked up from under his helmet, seeming excited. “Oh yeah! You’re right! I guess that this is another set of their cousins?” He reached up to scratch at the junction of his neck between the breastplate and the helmet. Sans couldn’t help but be disgusted at how blatant the chink in his armor was. He was essentially begging to be dusted. The rabbit monster continued, not seeming to notice how his gaze had darkened. “Boy, those two sure do have a lot of cousins. They all look really similar, too! I guess skeleton monsters come in pairs, huh?”

The fish monster just nodded, looking between the two of them. The rabbit laughed. “So, what are your names?” Sans growled lowly. He didn’t have time for this.

He summoned an attack, jumping up and stabbing the sharp bone into the junction at the rabbit’s shoulder where he had seen the unarmored part earlier. He landed on the ground and stood back up, watching apathetically as the rabbit stumbled back a few steps, clutching at the bone and gurgling, crimson blood beginning to drip down the front of his chestplate. He formed another blade and turned to face the second guard, but was shocked when instead of attacking him, he rushed to the other, hands shaking as he desperately tried to keep him alive. Sans was tempted to slide the blade into the back of his neck where he could see a few scales poking between the helmet and breastplate- they weren’t even fucking trying to have functional armor at this point- but decided against it, walking to the elevator and calmly pressing the button. It wasn’t worth wasting his time killing both of them. They’d be dead soon enough, and he wanted to save his energy for his fight with the ruler.

The elevator opened and he stepped inside, Papyrus following soon after and standing to his side, gaze fixed on the floor. He pressed the button to move them, watching apathetically as the fish’s hands became coated in green magic, pressing to the wound and desperately trying to keep the bunny alive. As the door was closing he heard him sobbing something about never having gotten to tell him, and Sans let loose a low growl, rolling his eyes. Dear god, they were so open with affection in this place that it was sickening. He was tempted to finish the job, but the doors clicked together before he had a chance.

There was a hum as the engines started up, propelling both of them to the top floor, nearest the capitol. He let out a breath from his nose once they reached the top, exiting the elevator as soon as the doors clicked open with a ding, feeling the familiar presence of his brother behind him. He strode past a fire elemental who kept yelling his name at everyone, and found himself wishing for the briefest moment that he had some kind of water bottle with him to dump on the obnoxious flame. He settled on making a mental note to send the small fire man to Waterfall to be put out once he overthrew the monarchy. 

He walked into the hotel- the color scheme was different, and there were stars everywhere, but the fountain still didn’t work for shit- and then towards the CORE, heading to the elevator there. As he entered, he heard marching footsteps, the clinking of heavy metal armor sounding familiar and making his mouth twist into a sick grin. He looked at Papyrus out of the corner of his eye. “Stay here and hold them off. Don’t kill anyone. Once I’ve killed the ruler I’ll come back and finish the job.” He reached up, grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him down so that he was bent over uncomfortably. “I want the EXP for myself, and if I find that you took it instead, there  _ will _ be consequences. Have I made myself clear?”

Papyrus gave a small dip of his head. “Yes, m’lord.” Sans pushed the other back roughly before entering the elevator, pressing the small light on it and crossing his arms, watching through the narrowing crack as the guard began running up to the elevator doors. Just before it closed, he saw Papyrus lower into a defensive stance and heard the familiar snap of a blaster being hurdled into existence.

The elevator took longer to reach the top than he would have liked, and he couldn’t figure out why until it came to a grinding stop, the lights in it going out and the emergency ones coming on, leaving him bathed in red. He growled. Of fucking course the science bitch hacked into the elevator to stop it. He reached up to open the emergency hatch in the top- intending to just climb his way up the shaft until he reached the doors that he could pry open- when the elevator gave a jerk, a high pitched screech of metal on metal grating his ears. He stopped as he felt it give a jerk up, and then another, and another, and with a cruel grin, he realized that they must be trying to haul him up on their own to try and arrest him.

He gave a content hum, leaning back against the wall and summoning a sharp, dagger-like bone that he twirled around in his hands. He would just wait until they opened the doors, and then he would kill them all, moving onto the monarch. They were making his job easier, in all honesty, since he would be able to get them all out of the way before he took the throne for himself. The jerks halted and he pushed himself off of the wall, rolling his head on his shoulders and putting more magic into the dagger, making it longer and sharper.

Heavy thumps were heard against the doors, and he stepped off to the side just in time for them to be knocked back into the elevator and hit the spot where he had just been standing, clattering to the ground with a hard thud. He waited a few seconds for anyone to be foolish enough to enter the elevator, but, when nothing happened, he realized that they were more than likely on the defensive. 

With a heavy sigh he walked out of the elevator, looking around to see…

Nothing?

A slither of green caught his eye from the corner, and he snapped his gaze over just in time to see what looked like a vine fall over the edge of the pathway. Thick scores were in the ground in front of the elevator exit, and what looked like a few leaves were lying on the floor. He looked back over to where the vine had disappeared before shaking his head, looking up and moving on to where he knew the hall was.

He looked around the room with disinterest. Everything was gaudy and gold-plated, light shining in through the windows and reflecting off the material everywhere. Sans continued walking forward, relishing in the echoing clack of his heels as the struck the floor, the sound bouncing high up off the arched ceiling and weaving through the pillars. He sighed through his nose. This hall was just as long as the one back in his own universe. It would have been more fun if there were a few guards scattered here and there for him to fight, but they were all no doubt hunched around their ruler, trembling quietly as they waited for him to come and strike them down like the maggots they were.

About halfway through the hall, he heard the familiar sound of a teleport, the sound of the fabric of space tearing giving a small echo against the high ceilings. He stopped his confident strides to the throne room, crossing his arms and staring at the figure in front of him. Capable of teleporting, but much shorter than his brother, close to his own height. This must be this universe’s resident Sans. He scowled as he looked closer, seeing the very obvious stains on his dirty hoodie. Any person with his face that dressed like  _ that _ deserved to be dusted for soiling his image.

He took a half step forward, sliding his foot on the ground in front of him to set his balance and waited for the other to strike. He didn’t, instead just standing there with a stupid grin on his face like he wasn’t about to be ground into dust.

He felt himself being judged by the other Sans. “Whew, buddy. That’s quite a high LV you’ve got there. Thirteen? Almost fourteen.”

His mouth pulled into a grin to match the other’s, only his was laced with hate and malice. The other Sans- he was just going to call him hoodie, because something like  _ that _ didn’t deserve to share a name with himself- didn’t seemed bothered by this, though. Only stood there with a grin.

“Fourteen soon.” He let magic trail into his sockets, feeling how both his pupils now had purple flames striking out from them. The edges of his vision held the same purple, and he felt the LV in his soul make him stronger at the promise of more bloodlust. “One more kill should do the trick.”

Hoodie didn’t seemed bothered by his display of power, instead staring at him with half-lidded eyes, almost as if he were sleepy. The small, white eyelights moved off of him and went to trail up to the ceiling, gazing calmly over the large, marble pillars and stained glass windows. “Sounds like you’ve been pretty busy.” His eyelights came back down to Sans. “So, I’ve got a question for you. Do you think that even the worst person can change?” Sans took a step forward. Hoodie seemed unfazed. “That everyone can be a good person, if they just try?” Sans took another step forward. Hoodie stared at him for a few moments before closing his eyes with a sigh. “Welp. You asked for it.”

He felt himself be pulled into an encounter.

 

_ Sans _

**_LV:_ ** _ 1 _

**_AT:_ ** _ 1 _

**_DF:_ ** _ 1 _

**_HP:_ ** _ 1/1 _

_ “The Judge. The easiest enemy.” _

 

Sans scoffed at the other him’s stats, feeling his own being checked over with a careful eye. The slightest twitch could be seen in the corner of the other’s sockets, and Sans felt himself swell with pride and adrenaline at how he was clearly afraid after realizing his power. The calm look came back, and Sans smiled impossibly wider, beginning to walk forwards and summoning a long, sword-like bone in his hand. He had to commend the other the slightest bit for hiding his fear even in the face of obvious death. It was noble and brave, no matter how pointless it was.

He stopped a few strides in front of the other when he felt magic crackle to life in the air, jumping to the side as an arsenal of bones jutted out of the ground where he was standing moments ago. The snap of blasters being formed in the air was all the warning he got before they fired, dodging the blasts even as the strong scent of ozone was burning his sockets. Hoodie had one hand outstretched, still watching him calmly. His hand came up and he shrugged. “Never understood why people don’t start with their strongest attack first.”

Sans straightened, looking at the scorched ground beside him with a bloodthirsty grin before turning back to his copy. Now  _ this _ would be fun. He looked up as the other threw more bones at him, using his sword to swipe them out of the air, magic in his sockets crackling to life as he created waves of bones to sweep up from the ground behind him.

Hoodie looked over his shoulder quickly before disappearing, popping back into view in line of the blue bones dispersed throughout the wave before vanishing again, doing this until the attack passed him.

Sans scoffed a laugh as he was picked up with blue magic and thrown against a wall, pushing himself up and dodging the bones that were being thrown at him. “I see that you fight like a coward.”

Hoodie seemed shocked by this, letting out a chuckle as the blue magic wore off and Sans fell to the floor, rushing him with the sword in hand. A few bones were pulled up from the ground, being thrown at him to slow his approach, but not by much. “Heh heh. Well, I never claimed to be brave, buddy.”

Sans swung the sword, the other dipping below it and sliding off to the side as the blade missed him by inches. He swung again, and again, but the most he did was nick the fabric of his jacket, a small tuft of fluff appearing from the rip. “No need to worry. I’ve come to learn that most people are cowards in the face of death.”

Hoodie didn’t seem to like that, his eye flashing blue and yellow as he popped away, coming back into view a few yards away and summoning several blasters over his shoulders. Platforms came up from the ground and began to slide towards him, his soul being turned blue and weighing him down. He laughed, jumping from one platform to the next and dropping down whenever the blasters threatened to strike his row. His soul turned back to normal and he dropped to the ground, unharmed.

Close-combat wouldn’t be his friend in this fight considering that the other him liked to keep a healthy distance between the two of them. No matter. He dispersed the bone sword, forming some blasters of his own and crackling some bones to life on either side of the other, bringing his arms together as he fired the blasters outside of the attacking area. The bones swiftly cut through the air where Hoodie had been standing moments before, the blasters providing coverage for the area around him so that anywhere he teleported would be met with an attack.

The blasts cut off and he blinked the light out of his eyes, looking along the ground for a dust pile, but finding none. He frowned. Odd, his blasters were strong, but instantly vaporizing anything they came into contact with was unheard of. He quickly realized that he didn’t feel his LV go up and snarled, turning around to look behind him. Hoodie had teleported behind him when the attack started, and now threw multiple bones at him, too many too close to dodge.

He snarled, darting off to the side, but not before a small bone could graze his arm. He felt his HP drop a fraction of a point and his growl became louder. His soul was quickly turned blue and he watched as one of Hoodie’s hands shot up, his body following and slamming against the ceiling, floor, wall, the pillars, before the blue magic switched off, dropping him to the floor with a heavy thud.

Sans tried to push himself up, but the arm he got underneath of him quickly snapped at the ulna and cracked along the radius, causing him to drop back to the floor with a hiss of pain. He heard the soft footsteps of the other coming closer and forced open one of his eyes, looking at him through a haze of pain. He was panting heavily, a thin sheen of sweat across his face as drops of it ran down the sides. 

Sans forced himself to maintain eye contact as he waited for the final blow. He had no idea how he had been bested so  _ easily _ , but he refused to die a coward. He saw a flicker of something in the other’s sockets before it disappeared, checking Sans a second time. Sans struggled to keep his eyes open, eventually letting them fall shut as he blacked out, the pain being too great. His last thought was hope that he would somehow drown in the ever-increasing puddle of marrow that was seeping out from under his body.

 

\---

 

Undyne snarled at the small skeleton in front of her. “Sans. Let me through.  _ Now. _ ”

He just shrugged, giving his signature grin and a wink. “Sorry, captain. No can do.”

She looked at him, her grip on her spear tightening as she took in his words. Her eye flicked up to the  _ other _ Sans- the one lying on the floor in front of a cracked pillar, broken, battered, and bloody- and her grip became tight enough to cause her hand to shake, the magic of her spear creaking under the force of her grip. “This  _ isn’t _ one of your jokes. He… He almost  _ killed _ RG01 back in Hotland with no provocation whatsoever.” The tip of her spear came up to point at the other, not missing how Sans’ eyelights calmly followed it even though it came within inches of grazing his face. “He’s dangerous, and letting him  _ live _ is only going to cause more people to get hurt.”

He looked at her calmly, and a chill went down her back as she made direct eye contact with those small pinpricks of light in his sockets. There was always such a searching look in them, and she hated how it felt like he could read her every move and predict every action when she herself couldn’t grasp anything about him. “The keyword there being  _ almost _ .”

She fought down a growl. “You’re fucking kidding me! Thank god it didn’t kill him, yes, but regardless of that the intent to kill was still there!”

Sans reached a hand up to wipe at the sheen of sweat that was across his head, his gaze flicking away to look at the gashes in the pillars and scorch marks on the tiles. Undyne could tell he was thinking about something, and she was certain it wasn’t good. “If the intent was truly there, then why is RG01 still alive?” He looked back at her, taking one of his hands out of his pocket from where they were casually slung and gesturing widely around the hall. “You can clearly see the kind of power this guy was packing. If he wanted to kill him then why wasn’t he dusted on the spot?”

Undyne felt her magic prickling in the air around her at her rage and she fought to calm down at how casually he was addressing the situation. “He had no qualms about attacking someone, so maybe he just wanted him to suffer in his final moments? It doesn’t matter. We can’t let someone like him just wander around, unchecked, if people are going to be  _ attacked _ and  _ killed _ .”

Sans looked at her for a few moments. Then, “Was there a Papyrus that came with him as well?”

She blinked, her shock quickly turning into a scowl. “Do not change the sub-”

“This is important. Was there or was there not a Papyrus?”

Undyne’s face remained in between a scowl and a sneer, but she answered his question regardless. “Yes. In the entry hallway of the CORE, right in front of the elevator.”

“And did he attack anyone?”

“Yes.” He continued to look at her expectantly, and she expounded with a heavy sigh. “We eventually managed to knock him down to a low enough HP that he couldn’t fight anymore and captured him. He’s in holding right now.”

Sans gave a slow blink, his gaze intense like Undyne had rarely seen before. “Why didn’t you try to kill  _ him _ ? He was fighting back, wasn’t he?”

Undyne searched his gaze, but found no telling information as to his logic of questioning. “He did. But he didn’t strike anyone who had already been brought down to 1HP.”

There was a pause of silence as Sans looked at her calmly. “So he didn’t want to kill anyone.” Undyne said nothing, fuming at him in an angry silence. He continued without her response. “How do we know that isn’t the case for both of them?”

She snarled suddenly, another spear appearing in her other hand. The sound of rushing wind filled the hall. “If that was the  _ case _ , then why did he attack RG0-”

“It isn’t your fault.” She stopped at the interruption, looking down at him incredulously. 

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

He shifted his hands in his pockets, looking up and meeting her gaze, the hard look from earlier replaced with the more relaxed, familiar one. “You’re blaming yourself for RG01 getting hurt. You assigned them to that post to guard the elevator, and if you hadn’t then he would be fine right now, and not in the infirmary, half-dead and grievously injured.” She blinked in shock, the attacks dispersing as he watched her. “But, trust me. You’re not guilty.” He winked at her, shoulders coming up in a small shrug before they fell back down. “I would know. I’m the judge.”

Her anger faded the slightest bit as she watched him, her posture becoming more relaxed. It was scary how well he was able to read people. Or maybe she herself was just easy to read. Either way. “And what about  _ him _ ?” She jerked her head in the direction of the pile of bloody bones on the floor, not bothering to hide her disgust. “What’s his ‘verdict’?”

Sans looked over his shoulder at his alternate, something unreadable flashing across his gaze for a split second before it went back to his lazy grin. “Not sure yet.” He turned and looked at her, giving another wink and pulling his hands out of his pockets, shrugging. “Jury decided to take a small recess as a break. Can’t say for certain when they’ll be back in session.”

She sighed out of her nose, fight gone for now. “Well, what do you think should be done until then?”

His eyes closed to be half-lidded, looking sleepy all of a sudden. “I think a bit of house arrest couldn’t hurt. Some more observation to make the best possible decision.” His eyes closed fully and he leaned forward a bit, snoring softly. Undyne growled, snapping her fingers and waking him back up with a small snort. She decided to pull the card that she knew would get some reaction. “You’re fine with that guy being around Papyrus with as violent as he is?”

Sans’ sockets guttered out, the left one being replaced by a flashing blue and yellow light for a few seconds before they went back to normal. He looked back up at her with that calm, lazy look that hid so much. “...I don’t suppose you’d be fine with giving up any MSs, would you?”

She looked him over with a critical eye before sighing, closing it and dispersing her weapons. She ran a hand over her head, smoothing down the small hairs that had fallen out of her ponytail during the earlier fight. “Fine. We don’t use them very often anyways, so we could spare a few. But know that I’ll be keeping a hell of a close eye on both of them.” Undyne moved her gaze back up to the unconscious skeleton on the floor. A slowly growing pile of blood (marrow, she guessed, if what Paps had told her was true) was dripping out from under the asshole, seeping into the cracks in the floor.

She moved her glare back onto the skeleton in front of her when he gave a chuckle. Her fins flattened against her face and she scowled, knowing damn well what that look meant. “I de- _ fin _ -itely wouldn’t expect anything else from you, Cap.”

She sighed, turning on her heel and walking back towards the exit. She heard Sans give another nervous chuckle. “Hey, uh, what I am supposed to do with short, dark, and edgy back there?”

She turned her head to look at him over her shoulder, slowing her strides the slightest bit. “The guy’s  _ your _ problem now. Bring him by the Labs so that we can get the MS on him as soon as possible. Until then,” she looked around the wreckage of the room that had been caused by the two of them, and to the stout skeleton who was standing in the center of it all, exhausted. “Have fun.” 

With that she left the golden light of the hall, hearing a heavy sigh follow her out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wasnt gonna fucking post this but i got a fucking GUSH OF ENERGY to write fucking violent sf sans for reasons that im not gonna disclose and i finished it all and one go so fuck apologies, fuck spellchecking, fucking having a beta, im angry bc otherwise i have to deal with shittier emotions that i dont wanna do huuuuurrrrnnnnnNNNG
> 
> anyways
> 
> every chapter is gonna switch perspectives at least once just bc im predictable like that and also it makes the chapters longer and makes me feel better about myself


	3. dead!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> did you get what you deserve  
> the ending of your life  
> [x](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORsFFjt1x6Q)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmmmmmm  
> hmmmmmmmmmmmmm  
> i dont know what im doing at this point  
> enjoy?

It was a strange thing, when a monster was close to falling down. He’d been close to falling down before. Many times, in fact. He knew what it felt like when your HP got low enough, when your soul became so weak that it determined that continuing to live just wasn’t worth it. The fact that he had only one HP to begin with meant that he felt the soul crushing weight near constantly, no matter the situation.

He could feel it now, of course, his soul straining against the very instinct that was telling it to give up. He wouldn’t, though. Sans had long trained himself out of that, his LV helping him fight even against the instincts ingrained into his body, to the point where he could be hanging onto the smallest fraction of a point of HP and still be alive, if not semi-conscious.

He felt himself be jostled up from the floor and heard a grunt. The movement caused pain to shoot through his body, but he kept silent. It was best to not let the other know that he was awake.

Sans felt the air around himself become thicker, hazy, humid and weighing down over his entire body and causing the back of his neck to prickle. It felt almost like that split second of a teleport when he would use his mutt to travel to gain an advantage. He knew the other could take “shortcuts”, but he had no idea why the fuck it was taking so long. He felt more than heard a grunt from the other again and cracked open an eye, ignoring the shooting pain in his head at the bright golden light that invaded his sight. They were still in the hall.

The other him gave a heavy sigh and began trudging back to the hall’s entrance, exiting and pausing to look over the vine-gorged marks in the concrete with thought. Then he shook his head, shuffling to the elevator and pressing the button.

…

Nothing happened, and he sighed again, beginning to drag Sans down the long corridor leading away from the Judgement Hall. Eventually the pain from the movement faded out, the near-constantness of it causing his body to numb. He was grateful for that much, at least. Though now, with his brain not muddled with pain, he was able to think back on what had happened to him.

This… This  _ weakling _ , who didn’t have a speck of dust on his hands or any Level Of ViolencE to strengthen him had somehow managed to best himself in combat. Sans himself, who had trained for years so that no one would ever be able to land a decisive blow on him, who had ground for LOVE in even the most unsavory of places so that anyone who did get a hit on him wouldn’t cause him to dust.

Was everyone in this universe so strong? Maybe this place had their LV counting backwards? But the more he thought about that idea, the less sense it made. If that was true, then why the fuck was everyone here so carefree?

He was pissed beyond any cohesive thought now. Sans wanted nothing more than to tear this other him apart. To string him up and break him into pieces, bending his joints until they snapped and then immediately healing him so he wouldn’t die, because  _ then the fun would be over, wouldn’t it? _

There was a shout and thudding footsteps, and he felt the body carrying him give a small chuckle. “Heh. Hey bro.”

“Sans!” The new voice yelled. It sounded a lot like his mutt, but he quickly threw that thought away. It had been years since his Papyrus had been…

The heavy footfalls stopped a few feet from the pair, and Sans could feel the worry radiating off the other in waves. It made him sick. “Sans! Are you okay?!

Another chuckle. “I’m fine, bro. Don’t worry about it.”

There was a pause of tense silence. Then, “What about him?”

“He’s fine too.”

A heavy sigh. “He hasn’t even been healed! Sans, you know that he won’t be able to survive a trip anywhere in this condition.”

Sans wished he could attack the other. How  _ dare _ they pity him, regardless of how injured he was? He could easily kill this weak, pathetic version of Papyrus, and since this other him cared so much about his  _ precious _ brother, he would make him watch. He was shifted a bit as the other him adjusted his grip, and held down both a hiss and a snarl as he felt a second pair of hands lower him to the ground.

Oddly enough, he felt the slight warmth of healing magic flowing through his limbs. God, he wasn’t sure whether he should find this hilarious or offensive. They were fucking healing him? Just how stupid were they?! Did they not find him as a threat? The thought made him tense up in anger, and he felt the magic cut off, a heavy silence weighing down on the atmosphere. He supposed the jig was up.

He opened his eyes, glaring up at the two others. Sure enough, there was a skeleton that looked almost exactly like Papyrus standing there, bent over with his hands resting on his knees, looking down at him in concern. A quick glance over showed him that the other him was tensed up, his grin tight as he attempted to discreetly glance back and forth between Sans and his brother.

Sans scowled, quickly pushing himself up and raising an arm to summon a blaster-  _ let’s see how nice this guy was when his brother’s dust was scattered on the floor _ \- before pain shot through his body, his knees going weak and making him fall forward as his unstable magic began to spark in his eye sockets. The Papyrus made a noise of concern, taking a half step forward and reaching an arm out to help, but Sans growled. He couldn’t form a blaster, but he had enough control to make a small construct and did so, using the sharp bone to swipe at the air in front of him.

The Papyrus stopped in his tracks, jumping back in shock as Sans gave another swipe, wishing the other would either get the fuck away or come closer so that he could get a good hit on him, the joint where his arm met his shoulder burning in pain. It was fine. He could ignore it. That was, until he felt his soul ping with blue magic and he was thrown back against a wall, the hand that was holding the sharp bone dropping it as he hissed, the impact hitting against where the pain was. The construct disappeared as his body used what magic it had to stabilize his HP, and he looked down with a grimace at his shoulder.

The joint had been wrenched out of socket, his arm hanging limply from it, and the gravity magic that was being used to hold him down was only pulling it further, his magic straining to hold him together under the threat of being broken apart. He looked up at the other him, his mouth still pulled into a snarl, to see that his left hand was extended, shaky, as he tried to keep the hold of magic on him. So he had awful magical stamina. Sans filed this information away for later use.

The other Papyrus made a noise of distress, waving his hand in Sans’ direction to take the magical strain off of his brother, reaching out to give a supporting hold under his arm. Sans tried to pull himself out of the magical hold, but found that he was too magically drained to do so, knees buckling from where they had been supporting him against the wall as he slid down, his vertebrae scraping against the tile roughly.

The other him gave a small sigh, his voice coming out weary. “M’fine bro. Don’t worry about it.”

The Papyrus huffed, reaching an arm over and around to pick the smaller up, hefting him with hardly a grunt over his shoulder as he used his arm to support the weight. The other him immediately fell asleep, soft snores coming from his form as the Papyrus patted his back gently. Sans scowled. How the fuck were they so comfortable with  _ this? _

The fond gaze of the other dropped as he moved his eyes from his brother to Sans, glowering at him with- disappointment? God, why the fuck was no one in this universe afraid of him? He strained against the blue magic, managing to lift his uninjured arm enough to flip the other off, and let out a sharp laugh at his squawk of indignation. The slight anger on his face slipped off into something more akin to concern, and Sans found his smirk falling off his face. 

The other Papyrus looked at the pathetic sack of bones tossed over his shoulder with worry before switching that same distressed look to himself. What…?

Papyrus took a deep breath in, letting it out and looking off to the side with guilt. “I apologize for this. But I’ll have to carry both of you to the labs, and I can’t have you fighting back and hurting yourself or hurting Sans.”

He fought to tell the other off-  _ he _ was Sans, dammit- but the scowl on his face dropped as he watched a spark of magic alight in the other’s eyes. He barely had time to turn his head before a well-placed construct connected with his temple and he crumpled over, blacking out for the second time that day.

 

\---

 

When Undyne had stormed up to his house in a hurry, banging frantically on his door, Papyrus knew that something was wrong. It wasn’t uncommon for her to show up unannounced to places, pounding her fist against the entrance with such gusto that she often cracked the door and had to replace it. And, if the place was owned by someone she considered a friend, she would forego the whole “knocking” thing to just bang the door down without warning. Even with part of her friendship being kicking down his doors, Undyne would  _ always _ call Papyrus before she came over, mostly so that he could have some blankets and hot tea ready for her since she didn’t do very well in the cold.

But when he opened the door to see her scuffed up, in full armor and panting slightly, he knew that something bad had happened.

“Paps, there’s been some real serious shit that has gone down in the capitol.” He didn’t correct her crude language, instead stepping aside to let her in the house. She accepted his unspoken invitation with thanks, shaking some of the snow off of her armor as she blew into her hands, having long since taken the leather gloves off since they provided almost no insulation whatsoever. 

He shut the door behind her and looked at her questioningly. He  _ knew _ that something was wrong not only because of the way she chose to enter- out of breath like she had come as fast as she could, an injury on her cheek still dripping electric blue blood- but because of the attitudes of the dogs in town. He hadn’t missed the way that all of their ears perked up as they were giving him their reports on sentry duty, their heads almost simultaneously turning towards Waterfall, and the sight would have been funny if not for the way that the hair on the nape of their neck pricked up and the low growls that were emitted from the group.

Dogeressa gave a few barks, and next thing he knew the hounds were dashing off, a few going to stand watch at the junction of Waterfall and Snowdin and the rest hopping onto the Riverperson’s boat, riding off somewhere. Papyrus had tried to see what was going on past Snowdin that was such a big deal, but Greater Dog had yipped at him, not allowing him to leave Snowdin. Doggo looked around the area anxiously until Papyrus started to shift in place, his gaze locking on him as he munched on the end of a dog treat, muttering something about how the areas were on lockdown until the captain came in and gave the clear.

So, in the end, Papyrus supposed he had been expecting Undyne’s company.

“What happened?”

She growled, a hand coming up to rip out her hair tie, the red strands flopping down on her head and over her fins, a distinct bump in the shape from where it had been bent. She used her fingers to comb it back up, placing the loose strands back in it as neatly as possible without a mirror. “Do you remember when the skeletons from… god, I forget the universe names, the spiky ones first came here?”

Papyrus tilted his head. “The Underfell brothers?” His brow lifted up in shock. “Wait, are they here? They didn’t do anything, did they? I wouldn’t think that they would after what happened the first time!”

Undyne huffed, shoving her leather gloves into her pockets roughly. “No, they’re fine! I mean that there’s  _ more _ of your clone whatevers that came, and they- they- NYGAH!” she cut herself off with a furious shout, arm coming out to slam against the wall. It went through the drywall, leaving a fist-shaped hole, and shook the house, a crack traveling up from it to the ceiling and down to the floor. She paused after the action, taking her fist out of the hole slowly and looking off to the side. “Sorry about that.”

Papyrus just waved her off. “It’s not a big deal.” Then, more seriously. “...Did the new ones hurt anybody?”

The fins on the side of her head flattened to her face and she pursed her lips. She was very obviously upset about it. “RG01.” She crossed her arms, jaw tightening and voice clipped. Her gaze was still fixed on the floor. “He’s in the healing ward. Critical condition.” A heavy sigh. “He should pull through, though.”

Papyrus swallowed, looking off to the side. “I’m… I’m sure that it was just a misunderstanding! Whatever other version of us did this may not have meant it!”

Undyne looked at him carefully, shoulder slightly slumped. “Heh. You’re too nice for your own good.” She sighed, straightening up. “Then again, your brother said almost the same thing as you.”

Papyrus blinked in shock, then worry. “Sans?! Is he okay!?”

Undyne gave a small laugh. “He’s fine. He stopped the other Sans in the judgement hall, and we’ve captured the Papyrus and put him in a holding cell for now.” She tilted her neck to the side, popping the bones in it with a grunt, and Papyrus tried not to wince. “God, we need to come up with some other names for them soon, because I  _ hate _ calling them by you guys’ names.”

Papyrus nodded, arms stiff at his side and fists clenched tightly. “May I…?”

She nodded. “Lockdown’s over. You can-” He had darted past her and crashed through the window over the couch before she could even finish. “-go.”

He rushed over to the Riverperson, yelling a hurried “Hotland!” before he even sat down, and they were off. The elevators took him almost all the way, but a few of them were broken, so he had to sprint to the hall once he got to New Home. He shouted once he saw Sans, sweaty and limping down the hall as he shuttled a skeleton just like himself on his back. Papyrus winced at the sight of the other laid over his brother’s back. He was very obviously beaten badly, and the sight caused a flare of concern in his own soul.

After all, it was still a version of his brother.

He knew Sans was going to the lab with the other, likely to have him checked over, but with injuries like that? Combined with the fact that the Sanses had only 1HP? It would be nearly impossible to transfer the other all the way to Hotland, even if the elevators in New Home  _ weren’t _ broken. He knew that Sans was concerned about the other injuring him- even though he wasn’t the one with an HP handicap- but he could handle himself. Besides, this was a  _ Sans, _ and things were really different from their own in a lot of universes, but he knew that every version of his brother cared deeply about their respective Papyrus, so he would be fine!

So, with a bit of convincing, he had gotten Sans to set the other down on the ground so he could heal him. He admits that he was a bit startled when the other tensed up, murderous intent rolling off him in waves as he attempted to push himself into a standing position, trying to summon an attack. His magic was far too weak for such an action at the moment, so it only succeeded in causing him to fall to the floor with a pained hiss. Papyrus felt-

Well, he felt  _ scared _ first of all, since the other had attacked him, but after that he felt kinda  _ bad. _ Was the other afraid of him? He had just lost a fight and was probably worried about what they would do to him now. So, in order to prove how little harm he was, Papyrus began to walk over to the other, stretching a hand out to help him up. Imagine his surprise, however, when he was met with a snarl and a swipe of a small attack. He jumped back to dodge the second swipe, looking at the other Sans in shock. 

He’d felt a spark of magic from beside him and looked over to see his Sans lifting his arm, eye flaming blue and yellow as he threw the other him against a wall. Papyrus made a noise of distress. He didn’t like seeing his brother in so much pain due to magic overexertion, and he certainly didn’t like seeing another version of his brother bloodied and hanging off the wall. He picked Sans up after taking the strain of blue magic on himself. He would have to carry both of them but… He looked at where the other Sans was glaring at him murderously.

There was no way he’d be able to carry the other Sans without him threatening to injure  _ his _ Sans. He gave a sigh out of his nose and apologized before he formed a construct off to the side of the other, sending it crashing into his temple.

Other Sans slumped, sliding a few inches down the wall and no longer straining against the hold of blue magic on his soul. Papyrus watched him for a while, waiting to see if he would move again. He didn’t, so he gave a small sigh, cutting the blue magic off and walking over to put him on his shoulder. Papyrus winced as the motion made the bones that were broken, barely hanging onto each other with magic, rub together, fresh blood beginning to ooze out of the wounds. It dripped down onto his battle body, and- this was a bit selfish, too, but he really couldn’t help himself- Papyrus really hoped that it wouldn’t stain.

The streets as he walked back through the capitol to the elevators were empty, even the few monsters who usually lined the path, telling the history of monsters to all who would listen, were gone. It was… ominous.

He walked faster.

The lab in Hotland was visible for miles around the entire area. Then again, all you really had to do was look over the edge of one of the levels to be able to see it. The doors to the lab slid open with a quiet hiss as he approached them, and he walked into the cool room with a sigh. Only to be almost immediately assaulted by Undyne.

She grabbed him around the waist, lifting him up in that air and giving him a tight hug. Normally he would be scrambling to get away from her admittedly embarrassing embrace. As it was, he was just scrambling to keep a grip on the two bodies thrown over his shoulders. She set him down with a chuckle.

“Glad to see you’re back in one piece, Paps.” Her grin became strained when she saw the skeleton over his shoulder that was dripping blood onto his chest plate, and Papyrus shifted uncomfortably under her glare. She had taken her armor off sometime in her way to Hotland and was standing in her simple jeans and black undershirt, a cold towel thrown over her neck and covering the bottom of her gills to keep herself cool in the heat.

She sighed loudly, turning and looking over her shoulder. Alphys was standing there, holding a collar with a small, almost phone-sized screen on it. She gave Papyrus a nervous grin as she shuffled a few steps forward, holding the collar in front of herself almost defensively. Papyrus took his brother and handed him off to Undyne with thanks. She made a disgusted noise at how sweaty he was before walking over and setting him on Alphys’ couch.

Which left one other skeleton on his shoulder. He looked at where Alphys was standing with the collar, and suddenly everything clicked in his head. He moved back a few inches as she continued to approach, looking warily from Undyne to Alphys. “He’s injured.”

Undyne gave a low growl. “Papyrus…”

“No!” He furrowed his brow, bringing a hand up to steady the body over his shoulder. Sans let out a snort where he was laying on the couch, relaxing into the cushions in a way that was such the opposite of the tension in the room. “I’ve read about the MSs before, Undyne! And… and I mean  _ no  _ disrespect, but you know as well as I do that no monster can be healed with a suppressor on!”

Alphys stammered a bit, and he looked away from where Undyne was glowering to see the small lizard fiddling with the collar, staring at the floor. “He-He’ll heal in time on his own, since the suppressors d-don’t, um, t-take away the individual’s healing magic. B-but until then, w-we can't just le-leave him able to use magic where he m-might hurt someone.”

Papyrus shifted, feeling his resolve crumbling. Yes, he knew they were right, but… This was a version of  _ Sans _ they were talking about, even if he was cruel and merciless, and as such he only had 1 HP, meaning that it would take him months to heal on his own, and a few weeks at the very least for him to become semi-conscious.

“Can’t we at least… heal him before we put the collar on?”

Undyne’s jaw unclenched and she sighed, slipping out of what Papyrus knew as “captain mode.” She looked at him wearily, and Papyrus knew that this day had taken more of a toll on the normally boisterous captain than she was trying to let on. “We saw what happened in the entrance to the hall, Papyrus. I know that  _ you _ know that’s a bad idea.”

He looked between the two of them, and then to Sans, and then to the skeleton dripping blood on his shoulder. He sighed, taking the other and laying him on the ground, watching as Alphys came up and locked the collar around his neck. He pretended not to notice how the two of them relaxed once the lock had been set, regardless of whether or not the other Sans was unconscious. Alphys stood and walked over to her desk, shuffling around on the top of it for her instruments before she found what she was looking for, getting up and walking back over to the other.

She handed a box of first aid supplies to Papyrus before she bent over, holding a large screen in front of the other’s chest. Papyrus kneeled, pulling out some gauze wrap and setting the bone of the other’s shoulder and forearm before wrapping it with gauze. Undyne glared at the medical supplies as if personally offended. Which- Papyrus thought, as he used gauze to wipe at the thick blood that was oozing out of many of the fresh cracks that littered the other’s figure- wasn’t too far off.

And then he heard Alphys gasp sharply, and he very nearly wrenched the other’s bone out of place once more before he caught himself. Undyne darted to the two of them, leaning over Alphys’ shoulder to look at the device. She turned it so Papyrus could see.

 

_ Sans _

**_LV:_ ** _ 13 _

**_AT:_ ** _ 99 _

**_DF:_ ** _ 84 _

**_HP:_ ** _ .03/1 _

_ “Keep your guard up.” _

 

There was no noise for a few seconds other than the soft snoring of his brother on the couch. Then Undyne growled so darkly that Papyrus had no idea that it was her at first. She stood and looked at the other darkly and Papyrus jumped in front of her, lifting his arms appeasingly. “Undyne, please!”

“It’s  _ thirteen, _ Papyrus!”

“I know, but-!”   
She scowled at him. “No! No buts! I’m not letting  _ him _ traipse about the underground and add any more LV to himself!”

Papyrus brought his hands together, wringing them anxiously. “B-but he can’t hurt anyone with the collar on?”

“Not with  _ magic, _ but-”

“But he’s not irredeemable! He can still probably do better!”

Undyne cut him off. “And yeah, that would be great if he could! But the truth of the matter is that someone with a Level Of ViolencE that high can’t be expected to do the right thing! Ever!” Papyrus looked away, even though her anger wasn’t directed at him.

Alphys shifted a bit, clutching the tablet to her chest nervously. Undyne seemed to notice how her anger was affecting the smaller and backed down, but the fins on the side of her face were still pressed back in agitation. Papyrus was surprised when the small lizard spoke up. “P-Papyrus has a point.”

“...Alphys.”

“We-Well, the, um, other Sans is g-going to have a MS on, and ou-our Sans will be keeping an eye on him.” She shifted in place, a sheen of nervous sweat glistening on her brow. “A-and y-y-you saw the hall! Sans is per-perfectly capable of ta-taking, um,  _ him _ on in a fight.”

Papyrus cleared his throat, and the two of them switched their gazes to him. “You  _ did _ agree to what Sans suggested, Undyne.”

She groaned, a hand coming up to her head to smooth down the hairs that were sticking out of her ponytail. “Yeah, but that was before-” Another groan, the hand swiping down her face until it was holding her chin. She looked from Papyrus to Alphys and sighed. “Fine. We stick with the original plan.” Her gaze stopped on the skeleton still on the floor, her eyes narrowing. “But I will say that I don’t think there’s any chance for this guy. The other Papyrus? Maybe. But rest assured that this guy is  _ never _ going to do any good, much less become some kind of hero.”

Papyrus looked away from her, even though her glare wasn’t fixed on him. He caught sight of the tablet and stared at it. The screen was turned so that it was pressed into Alphys’ chest, but he didn’t need to see the screen to picture the numbers that had flashed across it earlier.

Thirteen.

He sighed, looking away from it to where his brother was still sleeping on the couch, blissfully unaware- or, maybe, entirely aware, he could never be really sure with Sans from as much as he hid from him- crossing his arms to grip at his elbows anxiously. 

He knew that she was more than likely right. But, if Sans had agreed with him, regardless of the Other Sans’ LV, then surely there was a reason?

He really hoped so.

Alphys walked over and set the tablet down on her table, turning around as he fiddled with the end of her lab coat anxiously. “Yo-You should probably st-stay here for a b-b-bit to make sure th-that, um, his HP is st-stable.”

Papyrus didn’t argue, nodding his head with a sigh. He was tired, and he hadn’t really even done anything. Was this how Sans felt all the time? It was worrying. He picked the unconscious pile of bones from the floor and carried him over to a table that Alphys had cleared off, setting him on top. He looked between his brother and his brother’s alternate before something clicked in his mind. He looked up at Undyne.

“Where’s the other me?”

He didn’t miss the way that they flinched, gazes flicking to one another before looking away to various places around the room. Undyne’s went to glare with such  _ malice _ at the other Sans, and Alphys’ moved briefly to the tablet before staring down at her toes. 

“He’s, um, re-recovering somewhere else. W-w-we’ll bring him here l-la-later.”

He furrowed his brow, looking down at the darker version of his brother before deciding not to argue. He walked to the couch, sitting down on it tiredly and pulling Sans into his lap, petting the back of his skull soothingly. He had no idea what any of their actions meant.

He could only hope that everything would turn out okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel like the edgy songs as titles may be a _bit_ overboard and are a product of me compensating for my lack of skill in writing this serious stuff here
> 
> (also idk if ive mentioned this before but this entire fic came about bc i wrote the sentence "razz and slim get put under house arrest" so)


	4. tears to diamonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> they press our teardrops into diamonds  
> but they can't change our hearts to stone  
> they're gonna turn our blood to rubies  
> i know that we are not alone  
> [x](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNxKVSivYec)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG YOU GUYS

 

When Papyrus had first woken up he’d been confused, but he didn’t struggle, taking into account his low HP and the heavy weight around his neck and figuring that he had been chained downstairs for the night as punishment. But then the memories had come flooding back to him and he shot up, going to summon an attack. The new, heavy weight around his neck shocked him, and he fell to the ground, unable to form a blaster. The suppressor had only taken away the barest fraction of his HP- much more forgiving than the ones from his own universe, he thought- but he was still unable to form any attacks.

He looked down at himself, feeling a tight pressure around his ribs and one of his arms and moved his clothing to see what was going on. There were bandages? A few splints here and there where the bones had been cracked, as if to hold them in place until they mended on their own. He tried to bend around a bit, testing the motion, and frowned slightly that the wraps made the movement harder. Or maybe that was just his injuries. He decided to just leave the bandages be.

Shaking his head, he looked around the new area he found himself in. A small cell with a few bars along the front area kept him contained in the concrete walls, and a thin mattress was set in the corner, the blanket set on top of it rumpled and hanging half off from where he had shot up in his momentary panic. It didn’t do to freak out about things, though, so he continued to do as he’d been trained and breathed slowly, walking forward to the bars and leaning towards them. A few seconds of listening proved what he had already thought about them not being electrified, so he grabbed onto two of them, pressing his face in the space between the bars and whining lowly.

He never liked being alone.

His eyes scanned the hallway to see if anyone was coming or listening, and by some stroke of luck, he heard a shuffling and saw the flicker of a shadow down along one end. He moved back from the bars and glided to the center of the cell- much larger than the ones back home, so he guessed that they didn’t have nearly as many prisoners that needed to be held- going down to his knees and bowing his head forward to wait.

He was very good at waiting.

Perhaps it was Sans coming? But, no, if it were Sans then he wouldn’t know that he was there until Sans allowed himself to be seen. The footsteps were far too casual too, dragging along the ground and causing more noise than necessary. The gait was loud and wide, and nothing like his Lord’s swift, quiet stalk. It wasn’t really a bad thing, though. He liked the noise. It helped fill the space better.

He looked up as the shuffling stopped to see Alphys standing in a lab coat and glasses, nervously pulling out a ring of keys and muttering to herself as she sorted through them. Papyrus would have been confused if he hadn’t faced against Undyne back in the CORE, the distrusting scientist having completely changed into a confident and powerful warrior. In all the time he knew Undyne, he had never really seen her use magic (aside from that One Time, but he didn’t really think about that too much) so it was interesting to see how she fought, forcing him to meet her attacks head on by turning him green.

He never really fought up close or head-on, his Lord preferring to use him as a sort of sniper for weakening or as cannon fodder to get attacks off of himself. She soon knocked him down to one HP, and he had laid on the ground, looking up at her tiredly- _Sans would be so disappointed-_ before closing his eyes, waiting for the final blow. It never came, so he’d opened his eyes again with only mild shock.

Sans had always told him that he was kept around simply because he wasn’t worth the trouble or effort of killing considering how little EXP he would give. She had looked down at him with pity, likely because of how pathetic and weak he was, before waving someone to take him. He had felt a sharp prick on his neck before he fell asleep.

The door had slammed open and the Alphys jumped, giving a nervous chuckle at the noise. Papyrus didn’t flinch, just staring at her in mild confusion. She was going to let him go? He couldn’t go anywhere to begin with, but he could still attack her without magic if he wanted to. He didn’t really want to, though, and he hadn’t been commanded to attack this one, so he just stayed kneeling.

She had put the keys into one of her pockets, the shaped metal sliding in and then promptly falling out of a hole in the bottom and clattering to the floor. She had apologized, bending over to pick them up and put them in a different pocket. Papyrus tilted his head. Odd.

She gave him a shaky grin, pressing her glasses up on her nose. “Um, Pa-Papyrus, right?”

He tilted his head further. Did she want an answer? She started shuffling nervously when he didn’t give a response, looking away.

“O-Okay then. C-Can you c-c-come with m-me?” He stayed silent. Did she want him to come with her? She was being very vague in her commands.

She huffed. “Can y-you even t-talk?”

He stood in a smooth motion, and she shuffled back a few steps, seeming startled by the movement. “You want me to follow you.”

She blinked before giving her head a small shake, looking up at him with a nervous smile. “Y-yes?”

He bowed his head a bit. “Lead the way.”

She had taken him out of the holding cells and through the palace where a single guard met them, falling into step behind them. He’d been led to the labs in Hotland, where he had seen his brother lying on a table, bones cracked and broken, splits wrapped around him so that he looked more like a pile of gauze than anything. And he just went blank.

He growled low and deep, feeling it rumble in his chest, and vaguely he registered a quick movement off to his side, a skeleton that looked like himself getting up from the couch and blinking at him in shock. Yet, despite everything, he really didn’t feel much at all. He knew that he should be angry, so he was angry, but beyond that the path wasn’t clear. His Lord was very clearly unable to give any set orders, and- despite his pitiful condition- was not in any danger at the moment. He’d been given an order long ago to protect him if by some off chance he happened to fall unconscious in battle. But right now there was nothing to protect from. There wasn’t a battle. So he didn’t do anything. That was what he wanted, right?

He relaxed from his stiff posture, shoulders coming back forward into a slouch, hands going to sling into his pockets before he realized that his jacket wasn’t there. He clenched them a few times before placing them in the pockets on the front of his pants. Papyrus pretended not to notice the magic that sparked across the biceps of the water sprite as she glared at him. It was kinda funny, honestly. She looked a lot like Undyne, though he was fairly certain that his friend- _not his friend,_ he corrected himself, gaze flicking darker for a moment as he remembered how she had thrown him into the not-yet-fully made portal to get him out of the way to take what his Lord had rightfully _earned-_ hadn’t been as overly ripped as this Undyne was. Imagining the cowardly sprite this burly and still in a lab coat made him laugh quietly.

They didn’t seem to know what to make of his reaction after being so tense just a few seconds before. In all honesty, he didn’t either, so he just turned to his brother and picked him up, holding him to his chest before he continued to stand in the floor. A shuffle grabbed his attention, and he turned to see himself. Not a mirror either, but _actually_ himself. But softer? This universe’s version of him, then.

He held his Lord closer to his chest. He used to hold the other like this a long time ago, back when they were both younger and he would have nightmares. That had stopped after a while, though. Now he just took what he could get.

“Um, hello!” The other him said. God, he didn’t know his voice could be that _loud,_ bouncing and arcing off the walls. “I’m Papyrus!”

The other him, Papyrus- then again, they were _both_ Papyrus, but he didn’t get called as such nearly as often, so he guessed the other could take it- seemed slightly uncomfortable, glancing back and forth between him and his Lord.

Papyrus coughed, looking back at where another Sans was sleeping on the couch. “Do you have a nickname that we can call you?” He turned back to grin, but it seemed slightly strained. He was worried about something.

“Mutt.” It was just a casual answer, and it was true, in a way. He was either called Papyrus or Mutt, and the former was already taken. Everyone flinched away from him at that, and Undyne let loose a low growl. He turned to her, blinking and trying to figure out just why she looked so furious at the name. “If you don’t like it, then you can pick a different one. I don’t mind.” His throat kind of hurt from the use of the magic there. It had been a while since he had spoken this much.

“How about… Skinny? Since you’re kind of thin?” He wrinkled his nose at the reminder. It had been a while since he had eaten, and Papyrus bringing it up made his already weak magic prickle in want. His expression must have made the other think he didn’t like the name, since he gave a nervous chuckle, looking off to the side. “Yeah, it’s uh… not the best.” Papyrus seemed to perk up. “What about Slim? It’s kind of the same, but not as bad?”

“That’s fine.” He said. Slim said. His own name wasn’t used very often, so it wasn’t all that strange for him to change names like this. As nice as he seemed to be, he really didn’t want to push him too far and make him angry. He held his Lord closer.

“Okay! Good!” The other him gave a shaky smile. Why did he seem so nervous? He was probably afraid of what Slim would do. Most people were, though it was often because of fear of what Sans would command him to do. Papyrus was likely afraid of what would happen when Sans woke up. Honestly, Slim couldn’t blame him.

He was afraid too.

 

~~~

 

This was not what he was expecting. Not at _all_ what he had thought he would come from seeing his alternate. Honestly, Papyrus didn’t know what he was expecting in the first place. Undyne said they had attacked someone, so he knew that they would be… More similar to the Underfell brothers than anything. Then, seeing the other Sans- they’d gotten the name situation worked out for his counterpart, but not for his brother’s alternate, which was a problem that they would really need to fix soon- he found that they were like the Swap brothers too! Albeit more stabby and angry. He’d thought he would be prepared for whatever was thrown at him.

But this? Nothing could prepare him for this… _broken_ version of himself.

Saying so was a bit cruel, he supposed, but as they walked through Hotland and Waterfall, Undyne trailing them the whole way to the edge of Snowdin, where the dogs followed them the rest, each of their brothers in hand as Slim walked a step and a half behind him. The brokenness was so clear that not pointing it out was ignorant. As they entered the house, Slim walked over and laid the other version of Sans down on the couch gently before turning and staring at Papyrus with tired eyes.

Papyrus shifted a bit under the scrutiny, trying not to let out a relieved sigh as the gaze turned from him to stare in submission at the floor. “May I sleep?”

Papyrus wanted to tell him that he didn’t need to ask to do something like that, but held his tongue at the last moment due to the other’s posture, stiff and uncertain. He hesitated for a moment before he sighed. “Yes. We have some extra blankets and pillows in the-” Slim immediately dropped to the floor, curling into a ball in front of the couch as he tucked his head between his arms.

“-closet.” Papyrus finished, unhelpfully. He watched the scene for a moment before he gave a small sigh, turning from the two to go upstairs and tuck his own brother in his bed.

Going into Sans’ room always made him roll his eyes at the mess. He hadn’t really given up on cleaning it. It was more of a… tactical retreat considering that every trash bag that he took out seemed to multiply so that twice the garbage was there than before. He assumed it had something to do with his brother’s shenanigans across time and space, but eventually decided to leave the hydra-like room alone. Now, though, he was too tired to comment on the mess, even to himself. He didn’t bother kicking the trash off to the sides of the room, instead just stepping around them and going to the mattress, setting Sans down gently.

He grabbed the sheets that were wadded into a ball at the foot of the bed, shaking them out- sending empty ketchup packets flying around the room to fall down like tomato-flavored confetti- before pulling them over him. Papyrus watched as one of Sans’ hands clutched the edge of the sheet, pulling it closer to his chest as he curled around it, muttering something unintelligible. It would have been cute if not for the very obviously strained smile on his face.

From what Papyrus had gathered, most people were relaxed in their sleep, expressions shifting away to- if not a peaceful expression- a calmer one. But Sans? Sans never seemed more relaxed than when he was awake, expression calm and permanent grin soft on his face. When he was asleep, he would tense up, brow furrowing and smile turning into a grimace, small shudders sometimes racking his body. He didn’t know what plagued his brother’s dreams at night, what made him wake up with a sharp gasp and a barely held back scream, staring blankly off at the wall as he refused to sleep for the rest of the night. Which is probably why he took so many naps.

People were more open in their sleep, unable to make the conscious thought to suppress their reactions. Maybe that’s why seeing how relaxed he was when awake when compared to the near-panic his sleep would work him into made Papyrus so upset.

He looked away, gaze going to the window framed by open curtains with a sigh as he walked over and pulled them shut. He’d been staring long enough to be creepy, at this point, so he left without much other word, whispering a quiet “goodnight” into the dark room as he slipped out, door clicking into place behind him softly. He stood for a bit, drumming his fingers on the doorknob before he sighed, turning away and walking to his own room.

Papyrus looked down over the banister at Slim and…

He thought he saw a barest hint of movement from the one lying on the couch, but shook his head. It was probably just his nerves from the day or the other’s bones starting to mend on their own.

A reminder of the injuries made him wince as he opened his bedroom door, stepping inside with a sigh. Sans was a lot stronger than he would let most people believe, and reminders of such strength still shocked him, even though he was well aware of the power his older brother was hiding. He walked up to his dresser, going to pull out a pair of pajamas, when his computer gave a ding. He took his handle off of the dresser to walk over to the computer.

He had a new notification from Undernet.

 

**[ALPHYS]** Hey Papyrus! How are…. Things?

**[COOLSKELETON95]** THINGS ARE… GOOD! I GUESS?

**[ALPHYS]** Okay thats good! Thats…. Good!

**[COOLSKELETON95]** …

**[COOLSKELETON95]** (I FEEL LIKE THIS IS KIND OF AWKWARD.)

**[ALPHYS]** Yeah its been a pretty rough day

**[COOLSKELETON95]** DID YOU NEED SOMETHING? OR WOULD YOU JUST LIKE TO TALK?

**[ALPHYS]** Sorry I didnt mean to bug you if you were busy!

**[ALPHYS]** Just wanted to check and make sure everything was alright! ^u^

**[COOLSKELETON95]** THINGS ARE FAIRLY ALRIGHT I WOULD THINK.

**[COOLSKELETON95]** THOUGH I ADMIT THAT I AM NOT SURE HOW TO HANDLE SLIM

**[ALPHYS]** Slim?

**[COOLSKELETON95]** OTHER ME.

**[ALPHYS]** Oh! Right! Ha! I forgot his nickname, sorry ^^;

**[COOLSKELETON95]** YOU’RE QUITE FINE!

**[ALPHYS]** Before I forget!

**[ALPHYS]** I messaged you to check on you but also to tell you that I have the key that unlocks the MSs with me at the lab!

**[COOLSKELETON95]** WHY WOULD I NEED THE KEY?

**[ALPHYS]** Um… in case of an emergency I guess?

**[ALPHYS]** Though I guess it would be more of an emergency if they were let out of their collars ha ha

**[ALPHYS]** Nevermind! Just know that I have it here!

**[COOLSKELETON95]** THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME KNOW!

**[COOLSKELETON95]** BUT BEFORE YOU GO, DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE ON HOW TO HANDLE THIS SITUATION? I KNOW THAT YOU ARE VERY SMART, AND SANS IS ASLEEP RIGHT NOW SO I CAN’T REALLY ASK HIM!

**[ALPHYS]** Oh… um…

**[ALPHYS]** I dont know?

**[ALPHYS]** This isnt really… Ive never dealt with a situation like this before so Im not sure what to do

**[ALPHYS]** Plus I dont think that Im the best person to ask about this in the first place because Im not really good at handling that kind of stuff Im sorry

**[COOLSKELETON95]** IT’S QUITE ALRIGHT! I WILL JUST TAKE IT A STEP AT A TIME!

**[COOLSKELETON95]** THEY’LL GET BETTER SOON!

**[COOLSKELETON95]** I KNOW IT!

**[ALPHYS]** Hoo boy, I really wish I had your confidence lol

**[ALPHYS]** Ill talk to you later then! =^.^=

**[COOLSKELETON95]** OKAY!

**[COOLSKELETON95]** (I’M GIVING A THUMBS UP RIGHT NOW.)

**[ALPHYS]** Lol Im giving a thumbs up too!

**[COOLSKELETON95]** SEE YOU!

**[ALPHYS]** Bye!

 

Alphys was always fun to talk to online. Papyrus stood up from where he had been leaning over his computer, walking back over to his dresser to pull out some pajamas. He took about three steps before he felt weariness take over his body, and he looked from the dresser, to the bed, to the dresser again.

He really didn’t want to sleep in his battle body, but changing into his button down pajamas would be too much for the exhaustion that was slipping through his joints. It was honestly ridiculous that he was this tired- he hadn’t even fought anyone, not like Sans or Slim had, and he’d carried Sans across the underground much further than from just the labs before- but he couldn’t really help himself. He muffled a yawn as he reached a hand up to unclasp his breastplate, setting it down gently on the side of the bed as he kicked off his boots, pulling his feet up and under the covers.

Thankfully, he didn’t need to have a story read to him to fall into a restless slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love papyrus

**Author's Note:**

> like what you see? don't like what you see? either way, come yell at me on [tumblr!](https://ollie-oxen-free.tumblr.com/)


End file.
